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Apple wins as U.S. federal judge blocks Texas from enforcing new App Store age verification law

MacDailyNews

Dec 23

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On Tuesday, a U.S. federal judge in Texas issued a preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of the state’s new App Store Accountability Act, which required app stores and developers to verify users’ ages to protect minors. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin ruled that the law likely violates First Amendment protections for free speech, handing a victory to Apple, Google’s parent company Alphabet, and other tech firms.

Mike Scarcella for Reuters:
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The law, which was set to take effect in January, would require parental consent to download apps or make in-app purchases for users aged below 18. Pitman’s ruling was a win for the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which sued to stop the law…
The Washington, D.C.-based Computer & Communications Industry Association welcomed the order. The order will “preserve the First Amendment rights of app stores, app developers, parents, and younger internet users,” said Stephanie Joyce, who heads the group’s litigation center. “It also protects parents’ inviolate right to use their own judgment in safeguarding their children online using the myriad tools our members provide.”
The Computer & Communications Industry Association said the law would have placed “burdens on app stores, developers, minors, and parents that are completely disproportionate to any harm policymakers were attempting to remedy.”

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MacDailyNews Take: Apple introduced a privacy-focused age assurance feature in iOS 26 that lets parents securely share only their child’s broad age range (for example, “under 13” or “13–17”) with apps, without revealing the child’s exact birthdate or other personal details.

Earlier this month, as Congress worked to advance broad reforms to protect minors from online harms through the App Store Accountability Act, Apple CEO Tim Cook personally lobbied lawmakers in Washington D.C., urging caution against requirements that could undermine the App Store’s core privacy and security protections for all users.

Apple has voiced strong opposition to the bill, which would mandate app stores to verify users’ ages to restrict minors’ access to potentially harmful apps.

In a closed-door meeting with House Energy and Commerce Committee members, Cook argued against requiring app store operators to demand age-verification documents, advocating instead for parents to declare their child’s age during account creation, according to an Apple statement. The company framed Cook’s position as rooted in protecting user privacy.

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[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]

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